BiographyHistory

Bio changes summary

Sally Murphy has written children's fiction books as well as children's educational materials and primary school readers. Sally Murphy was born in Perth, Western Australia and has lived in rural Western Australia. In addition to fiction, Murphy writes reviews, notably for Reading Time, the magazine of the Children's Book Council of Australia.

Murphy is the sister-in-law of David Murphy (q.v.) with whom she has undertaken a literary collaboration.

'A moving illustrated verse novel about a girl dealing with isolation at school, and with her grandma’s illness at home.

'At school, Pearl feels as though she is in a group of one. Her teacher wants her to write poems that rhyme but Pearl’s poems don’t. At home, however, Pearl feels safe and loved, but her grandmother is slowly fading, and so are Mum and Pearl. When her grandmother eventually passes away, Pearl wants life to go back to the way it was and refuses to talk at the funeral. But she finds the courage to deliver a poem for her grandmother that defies her teacher’s idea of poetry – her poem doesn’t rhyme; it comes from the heart.' (Publicatin summary)